Comptroller Susan Combs Seeks Owners of Forgotten Funds

AUSTIN — Comptroller Susan Combs wants to give away money — to its rightful owners. In Texas newspapers this Sunday, Oct. 21, the Comptroller will publish the annual Unclaimed Property List, containing names of 152,000 people who have at least $250 waiting to be claimed.

“If you find your name on the Unclaimed Property List, we are holding a significant amount of your money, and we want to give it back,” Combs said

Even if your name is not on the list, you might still have money waiting to be claimed.

“You can easily find out how much, where it came from, and how to get it back by checking our unclaimed property Web site,” Combs said. “You can even print out a claim form and send it in immediately, so you will get your money back as quickly as possible.”

The list in Sunday’s newspaper contains only names that were reported to the state within the last year. The Comptroller’s online, searchable database also includes unclaimed property owners from previous years who still have not claimed their missing money.

“This money doesn’t belong in Austin,” Combs said. “It belongs to families and businesses in Dallas, Del Rio, Childress, Corpus Christi and every town in between. We’re making it simpler and faster for unclaimed property owners to get back what is rightfully theirs.”

To reunite owners with their unclaimed assets more quickly, Combs has streamlined claim procedures, making more claims eligible for automated processing.

“Claims by original property owners for up to $5,000 can now be electronically processed within 24 hours,” Combs said. “The computer compares information on claim forms with information in our database. If everything matches, the computer authorizes payment. Automating more claims frees our staff to work on more complex claims.”

Unclaimed property might include a dormant bank account, a forgotten utility deposit, an old uncashed check, unclaimed investment income, securities, family heirlooms from an abandoned safe deposit box or other valuable assets the original owners have forgotten. In fiscal 2007, the Comptroller returned approximately $119 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners.

In addition to checking the Unclaimed Property List on Sunday, Oct. 21, Texans can visit the unclaimed property Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/up or call (800) 654-3463 to speak to customer service representative.